Over the last seventy-five years, adults have staged a hostile takeover of kids'' sports. For generations of children the effects have been devastating. The quest to turn children into tomorrow''s superstars often has led adults to push them beyond physical and emotional limits, sometimes with tragic consequences. In Until It Hurts, journalist, coach, and parent Mark Hyman explores how youth sports reached this problematic state. He gives heartbreaking examples of children and their families, including his own, pushing beyond healthy limits in headlong pursuit of sports glory, athletic scholarships, or even professional careers. His investigation takes him from the Little League World Series in Pennsylvania to a prestigious Chicago soccer club, from adolescent golf and tennis superstars in Atlanta to California volleyball players. He speaks with dozens of children, parents, coaches, psychologists, surgeons, and former big-leaguers.

From the Publisher:A provocative assessment of the damaging nature of ultra-competitive youth sports considers the consequences of high-pressure athletics on children and their families, in a report that traces the author's investigations into prestigious youth athletic clubs and associations throughout the country.

Annotation:Journalist, coach, and parent Mark Hyman presents this insightful and often terrifying look at how adults have corrupted the idyllic institution of children's sports. With a wealth of interviews and investigation, Hyman shows how parents of children in all sports miss the point by pushing their children to attain athletic scholarships and amateur glory, and often cause serious physical and emotional injuries to their kids as well.

Praise

"It's likely that every parent and coach who reads Hyman's anecdotes will relate to at least one, will glimpse their own bad behavior, whisper a personal mea culpa and seek out ways to undo inflicted damage and do their part to fix a national problem that needs fixing." - Jon Reischel 04/05/2009

"Mark Hyman's little book carries a big message about the 'hostile takeover' of youth sports by adults. UNTIL IT HURTS is a must read, but it's not an easy read. We're likely to see ourselves, but unlikely to like what we see." - Brion O'Connor 04/05/2009